{"product_id":"metta-valley-gospel-book-1-9798992864946","title":"Metta Valley Gospel, Book 1","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\"For anyone healing from fundamentalism, this book feels like freedom.\"\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e-Cindy Wang Brandt, author of \u003cem\u003eParenting Forward\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eA story for those grieving the faith that once defined them.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eRaised in a world of rules and shame, Jesus has always questioned what others accept. He's sharp, restless, and tired of being told who he's allowed to be. When his defiance finally erupts in a clash with the rabbi who trained him, he is forced to leave his home behind. Angry and unmoored, he wanders the ancient world in search of a new beginning-stumbling instead into a journey that will overturn everything he was taught to believe.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eHis path leads him east, into a remote Buddhist monastery tucked in the mountains. There, as he faces the voices of shame and fear within him, he begins to unlearn the stories that once held him captive and to imagine a freer, more compassionate way of being.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eMetta Valley Gospel\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e is a work of \u003cstrong\u003eliterary, philosophical\u003c\/strong\u003e, and \u003cstrong\u003ehistorical fiction about Jesus\u003c\/strong\u003e-an engaging, imaginative retelling for anyone healing from fundamentalism or reconstructing their spirituality.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003ePerfect for fans of \u003cem\u003eThe Book of Longings\u003c\/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003eThe Alchemist\u003c\/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003eLamb, \u003c\/em\u003eand other character-driven, historical and spiritual fiction.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eMore early praise: \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"Helton's engaging adaptation of Jesus's story... opens the imagination to the depths of our shared histories.\"\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e-Sharon Salzberg, \u003c\/strong\u003e author of \u003cem\u003eLovingkindness\u003c\/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eReal Life\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"Not since Christopher Moore's \u003cem\u003eLamb\u003c\/em\u003e has there been a fictionalized retelling of the Jesus story that had this much imagination, style, and punch.\"\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e-Rev. Dr. John R. Mabry, \u003c\/strong\u003e author of \u003cem\u003eThe Worship of Mystery\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eIf you're ready for the Jesus story they never taught in Sunday School, this is a good place to start.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eHelton, Zachary:\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e - Zachary Helton is an author and board-certified spiritual care counselor whose work speaks to exvangelicals, mystics, and seekers reimagining their relationship to the sacred. A former pastor raised in evangelicalism, he now writes stories and reflections that blend emotional depth, spiritual insight, and narrative craft. His debut novel, Metta Valley Gospel, reimagines the Jesus story through the lens of healing, liberation, and interspiritual wisdom. His work has appeared in Braided Way, Flash Fiction Magazine, Baptist News Global, and Nurturing Faith. He lives with his partner, two kids, and the world's cutest Cavapoo-and when he's not writing, he's probably getting way too into a new series or re-reading something by Thich Nhat Hanh.","brand":"Spark \u0026 Scroll","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51834661273874,"sku":"9798992864946","price":17.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_74248d9b-20ee-44e3-b8fe-4a00fb5b78e4.jpg?v=1767098283","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/metta-valley-gospel-book-1-9798992864946","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}